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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. field — farmland
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cue — a hint
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rest — a break
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com