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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — to shout
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — goods
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stock — shares
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — an illness
  11. band — a music group
  12. cold — not warm
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — to handle
  18. track — a path
  19. cue — a signal
  20. band — a ring
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — a big deal

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