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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cue — for pool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stock — goods
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stock — shares
  12. perch — the fish
  13. suit — to fit
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cold — an illness
  16. file — a document
  17. suit — in cards
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cue — a hint
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cold — not warm
  23. file — a tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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