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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: club · arm · pop · bay · tube · cue · field · snap

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. field — for sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cue — a hint
  8. snap — to click
  9. club — for golf
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. club — a group
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. tube — a container
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cue — a signal

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