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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. field — farmland
  2. file — a document
  3. court — of a king
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. file — a line of people
  7. firm — decided
  8. kid — child
  9. firm — a company
  10. cue — for pool
  11. file — a tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. court — of law
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. court — for sport
  17. scale — in music
  18. firm — steady
  19. cue — a hint
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cue — a signal
  22. field — a subject
  23. kid — to tease
  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