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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cue — a hint
  5. chip — for betting
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — a subject
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. cue — for pool
  13. field — for sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. can — a tin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. file — a tool
  22. kick — in football
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cue — a signal

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