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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — a subject
  3. cue — a signal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pop — soda
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — farmland
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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