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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — a position
  3. roll — a list
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cue — a signal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. march — music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cue — a hint
  24. field — for sport

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