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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tube — a container
  5. field — farmland
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. object — an aim
  9. hand — in cards
  10. object — to protest
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. object — a thing
  13. tube — the underground
  14. swing — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. swing — to play on
  19. field — a subject
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. field — for sport
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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