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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bank — for money
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bank — for money
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. band — a ring

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