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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spell — letters
  3. pop — soda
  4. ground — a position
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pop — to visit
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pop — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — magic
  24. ground — the earth

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