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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — the earth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. ground — a position
  18. field — for sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mate — a friend
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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