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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. bank — for money
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cue — for pool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bank — of a river
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — a sauce

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