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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spell — magic
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — letters
  6. field — a subject
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cue — for pool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cue — a hint
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — a short time

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