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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cue — for pool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. field — a subject
  6. club — for dancing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cue — a hint
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cue — a signal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. field — farmland
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — for golf
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — for sport
  21. club — a group
  22. date — the fruit
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hand — in cards

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