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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. drill — army training
  3. cue — for pool
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stock — goods
  7. drill — the tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. field — a subject
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. field — farmland
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — in sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mark — a grade
  24. field — for sport

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