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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cue — a hint
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pound — a weight
  6. field — farmland
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — a subject
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a music group
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. snap — to click
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chip — to eat
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cue — for pool
  21. field — for sport
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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