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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — clever
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stock — goods
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cue — a signal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cue — for pool

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