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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stock — goods
  5. ball — a dance
  6. snap — to click
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rule — a law
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rule — government
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stock — shares
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rule — to rule out

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