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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. hand — help
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rash — a series
  18. kick — in football
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. field — a subject
  24. rash — on the skin

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