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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — magic
  4. cue — for pool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rest — what's left
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rest — a break
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. spell — letters

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