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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to click
  9. rest — a break
  10. stock — shares
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stock — goods
  17. cue — a signal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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