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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cue — a signal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — for catching
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. swing — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — in sport

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