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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cue — a hint
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — shares
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rest — a break
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rule — a law
  19. stock — goods
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. press — to push

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