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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitch — completely
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stock — shares
  24. shower — rain

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