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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cue — a signal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cue — a hint
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rock — music
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — the underground

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