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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stock — goods
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stock — shares
  16. cue — for pool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. roll — a list
  24. mine — an explosive

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