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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cue — a signal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — a series
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mine — an explosive

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