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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cue — for pool
  11. row — a line
  12. cue — a signal
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — a container
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — for sport
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — a stick

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