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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spell — magic
  12. stock — shares
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spell — letters
  23. track — a path
  24. stock — goods

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