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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — a hat
  5. toast — bread
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. cue — a hint
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rule — government
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cap — of ice

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