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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rule — a law
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stock — goods
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — bread
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stock — shares
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lash — to lash out

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