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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cue — a hint
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lie — to recline

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