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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. band — a music group
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — there
  7. game — a match
  8. present — the time now
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — a signal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. present — a gift
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — goods
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. band — a ring

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