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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cue — a signal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — to visit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — soda
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — all right
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — for pool
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pop — music
  24. season — of the year

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