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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. field — for sport
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chest — a box
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cue — a hint
  14. spell — letters
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fine — all right
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spell — magic
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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