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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cell — in biology
  3. staff — a stick
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. cue — for pool
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. staff — employees
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cue — a hint
  13. court — for sport
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — a group
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stock — shares
  20. club — for golf
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wind — moving air

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