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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cold — an illness
  3. swing — music
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cue — a signal
  9. net — in sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — after costs
  16. cold — not warm
  17. net — for catching
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stock — shares
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stock — goods
  24. swing — in golf

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