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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cue — for pool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kid — child
  6. mate — to breed
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mate — a friend
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — to confront
  21. mate — a partner
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stock — shares

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