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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · mouse · rock · swing · bulb · cold · cue · field

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. rock — music
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. field — a subject
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — music

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