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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — for sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — a signal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bear — the animal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wake — a trail
  20. deal — to handle
  21. face — to confront
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — an agreement

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