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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. can — a tin
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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