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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cue — a hint
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — for pool
  19. scale — in music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — a tin
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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