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

Word bank: pit · field · season · kid · nail · cue · cell · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cue — for pool
  5. season — in sport
  6. kid — to tease
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. cue — a signal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. field — for sport
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kid — child
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cue — a hint

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