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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — for sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — for pool
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rush — hurry
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. cue — a hint
  24. foot — the bottom

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