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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — steady
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. last — finally
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — a subject
  9. last — final
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. firm — decided
  12. cue — a signal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — a company
  15. field — farmland
  16. swing — in golf
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cue — a hint
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — to go on

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