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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. roll — a cake
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. club — for dancing
  8. roll — a list
  9. face — to confront
  10. club — for golf
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cue — for pool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stock — goods
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. cue — a signal

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