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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ground — crushed
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stock — goods
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cue — for pool

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