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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — all right
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. field — for sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. roll — a cake
  10. field — farmland
  11. cue — for pool
  12. date — the fruit
  13. present — there
  14. field — a subject
  15. snap — to click
  16. present — the time now
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cue — a hint
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. present — a gift
  24. fine — a penalty

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