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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — the month
  6. current — electric
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — for pool
  10. march — the month
  11. current — happening now
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. current — of water
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stock — shares
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. march — 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