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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: kid · last · cue · field · present · scale · object · firm

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. object — an aim
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — there
  6. object — to protest
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. field — for sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. last — final
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — a signal
  13. firm — a company
  14. scale — size or range
  15. firm — decided
  16. scale — in music
  17. present — a gift
  18. firm — steady
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — finally
  22. present — the time now
  23. last — to go on
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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