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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — a subject
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — for paper
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — a skill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — for sport
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — a video
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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