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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. field — for sport
  3. pound — a weight
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. field — farmland
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. field — a subject
  16. pit — a hole
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — to spend time

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