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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: foot · row · fork · snap · roll · field · cue · can

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. field — a subject
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. field — for sport
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. row — to paddle
  9. can — to be able to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — farmland
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. can — a tin
  19. roll — a list
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. can — a tin
  24. foot — part of the body

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