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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: squash · court · current · pop · calf · field · cue · cold

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. court — of law
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — farmland
  9. cold — an illness
  10. current — happening now
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cue — a hint
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. field — a subject
  15. court — for sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. squash — the sport

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