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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. cue — a hint
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stock — shares
  9. drill — a practice
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. face — to point toward
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to confront
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. press — newspapers
  18. drill — army training
  19. face — part of the head
  20. shower — to wash
  21. game — a match
  22. press — to push
  23. board — a committee
  24. cue — a signal

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