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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. fine — high quality
  10. staff — a stick
  11. season — in sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. game — a match
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. field — farmland
  24. cue — a hint

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