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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cue — for pool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — farmland
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a ring
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — a subject
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. band — a music group
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. shower — rain

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