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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — a hint
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — farmland
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cue — a signal
  8. field — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rock — a stone
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cue — for pool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — to move gently

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