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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a partner
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — a hint
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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