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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — a subject
  3. mate — a friend
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fine — high quality
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cue — a signal
  17. field — farmland
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mate — to breed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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