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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cue — for pool
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. land — a country
  11. field — a subject
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — ground
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rest — a break
  18. field — farmland
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bat — the animal
  24. land — to come down

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