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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cue — a signal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. field — farmland
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. field — for sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cold — an illness
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bore — to drill
  24. leaves — of a tree

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