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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rock — music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stem — to come from
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — the tool

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