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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bound — certain
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — a subject
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cue — a hint
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. plane — a tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bound — tied together
  18. land — a country
  19. bound — obliged
  20. land — ground
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. field — farmland
  24. cold — not warm

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