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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · cue · deal · mug · field · spell · file · pitch

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. field — farmland
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. file — a document
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mug — a face
  23. spell — magic
  24. deal — to handle

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