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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bound — certain
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mark — a trace
  11. net — in sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cue — a hint
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — for sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spell — letters

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