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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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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. track — a song
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — a path
  5. stock — goods
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stock — shares
  16. present — a gift
  17. cue — a hint
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. present — there
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stock — a soup base

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