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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. cue — a signal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. swing — music
  15. chest — a box
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — from a university
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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