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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — shares
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chest — a box

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