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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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Word bank
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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — shares
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bass — the fish
  10. spring — of water
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bass — low music
  18. key — in music
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitch — completely
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. key — the most important part

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