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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. object — to protest
  7. net — for catching
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. swing — music
  10. cue — a signal
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cue — a hint
  15. net — after costs
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. object — a thing
  20. field — farmland
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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