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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — for sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stock — goods
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. field — a subject
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tear — from crying

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