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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — a subject
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — a group
  9. rest — a break
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. field — farmland
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — rain
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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