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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stock — goods
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. content — the amount
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. shower — rain
  8. spell — magic
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — certain
  19. stock — shares
  20. spell — letters
  21. cue — a hint
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cap — a hat

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