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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. board — a committee
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. toast — bread
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — goods
  18. board — to get on
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stock — shares

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