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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — final
  4. stock — goods
  5. present — there
  6. last — to go on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. present — the time now
  10. cue — a hint
  11. last — finally
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — for pool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — shares
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. present — a gift
  22. land — a country
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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