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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cue — for pool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. face — part of the head
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — to eat
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. face — to confront
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — the animal

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