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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stock — goods
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. snap — to click
  7. degree — an amount
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — temperature
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fall — the season
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stock — shares
  21. cue — for pool
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fall — to drop

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