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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. current — of water
  8. stock — shares
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stock — goods
  15. current — electric
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. march — music
  24. rush — to hurry

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