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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — certain
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — goods
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ground — a position
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. charge — a price
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — music
  22. charge — in control
  23. stock — shares
  24. cue — a hint

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