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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. last — final
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stock — shares
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stock — goods
  16. last — finally
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — of ice
  21. track — a path
  22. cue — for pool
  23. track — a song
  24. last — to go on

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