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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. field — farmland
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — a contest
  7. scale — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. race — the arms race
  16. field — for sport
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — size or range
  19. race — humankind
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — a subject
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cue — a signal
  24. scale — for weighing

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