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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: fork · bat · can · cue · field · object · game · fan

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cue — a hint
  7. object — a thing
  8. can — to be able to
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. can — a tin
  21. game — a match
  22. object — an aim
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cue — for pool

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