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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pop — to visit
  4. file — a tool
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spring — the season
  10. cue — for pool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pop — music
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — all right
  18. spring — a coil
  19. board — a committee
  20. cue — a hint
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — 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