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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — for sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fine — high quality
  8. charge — electricity
  9. game — wild animals
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fine — all right
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — a subject
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. charge — in control
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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