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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — goods
  4. charge — electricity
  5. ground — the earth
  6. charge — in control
  7. swing — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — in golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. charge — a price
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ground — a position
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cue — a hint
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stock — shares
  24. prune — to trim

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