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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — a subject
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to click
  17. kid — child
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. field — for sport
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kid — to tease

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