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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — ground
  5. pop — music
  6. mark — a trace
  7. field — a subject
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. land — a country
  13. cue — a hint
  14. land — to come down
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pop — soda
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — for sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cue — for pool

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