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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. current — happening now
  5. cue — a hint
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pop — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stock — shares
  23. pop — to visit
  24. current — of water

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