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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — a subject
  4. net — for catching
  5. field — farmland
  6. stock — shares
  7. capital — money
  8. mate — a friend
  9. last — finally
  10. net — in sport
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. object — to protest
  14. mate — to breed
  15. net — after costs
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — final
  18. capital — a city
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. stock — goods
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. last — to go on

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