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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — a position
  4. stock — shares
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cue — for pool
  11. land — to come down
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cue — a hint
  14. land — ground
  15. scale — in music
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stock — goods
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ground — the earth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ground — crushed

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