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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 124 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. field — farmland
  3. cue — for pool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a word
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. root — the cause
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — a signal
  24. content — happy

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