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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. object — a thing
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. field — for sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. object — to protest
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — of law
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — an aim
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — completely

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