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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — thin
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. can — a tin
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cue — a hint
  12. can — to be able to
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — rain
  17. file — a tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — a phone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — for sport
  24. degree — an amount

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