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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — in football
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. field — a subject
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. cue — for pool
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wound — an injury

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