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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. field — farmland
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — a match
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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