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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pop — soda
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. board — a committee
  12. pop — music
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — to visit
  17. board — to get on
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. row — a line
  23. rash — a series
  24. cue — for pool

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