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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. field — farmland
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — a subject
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — in music
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. field — for sport
  24. cold — not warm

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