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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. shower — rain
  3. degree — an amount
  4. staff — employees
  5. stock — goods
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cue — a hint
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stock — shares
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. shower — to wash
  24. key — in music

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