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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chest — a box
  10. spring — of water
  11. field — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cue — a signal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — a coil
  24. can — a tin

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