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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bank — for money
  14. cue — a signal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. drill — army training
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mug — a cup
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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