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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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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: straw · mark · mate · fall · scale · cue · field · kick

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. field — farmland
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fall — the season
  8. cue — a signal
  9. field — for sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cue — for pool
  15. scale — in music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mate — to breed
  21. field — a subject
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kick — in football
  24. mark — to pay attention

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