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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mug — to rob
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mug — a face
  19. rash — a series
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. deal — to handle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — certain

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