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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cue — a hint
  3. field — a subject
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — for sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — farmland
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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