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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — for pool
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — a subject
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rule — a law
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stand — to bear
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. field — for sport
  22. rule — government
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kid — child

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