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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mug — a cup
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. game — a match
  11. cue — a signal
  12. field — for sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — wild animals
  18. field — a subject
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mug — to rob

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