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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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 — a subject
  2. snap — to click
  3. cue — a hint
  4. suit — to fit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mark — a grade
  14. land — ground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. land — to come down
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — farmland
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — in cards
  23. mark — a trace
  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