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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 120 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — goods
  4. cue — a hint
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. file — a document
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — help
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. cue — for pool
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. press — newspapers
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. band — a ring
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a line of people

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