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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. field — for sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. snap — to click
  5. root — of a word
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. root — the cause
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. field — farmland
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — a subject
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wave — with your hand

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