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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. field — a subject
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — for sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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