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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pit — a hole
  3. scale — in music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pit — in a race
  8. track — to keep track
  9. field — a subject
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — for pool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — farmland
  20. kick — in football
  21. field — for sport
  22. track — a song
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. track — a path

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