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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — army training
  8. stock — goods
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cue — a hint
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stock — shares
  17. squash — to crush
  18. field — farmland
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — a subject
  24. lie — an untruth

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