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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cue — a signal
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. field — farmland
  6. cue — a hint
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. can — to be able to
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cue — for pool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. field — a subject
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to sink

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