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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. field — farmland
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cue — a signal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. shower — to wash
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — for sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. field — a subject
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. roll — a list
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. staff — employees

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