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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — a measure
  4. deal — to handle
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. field — farmland
  12. game — a match
  13. cue — a signal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — a subject
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. object — a thing
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — for sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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