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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cue — for pool
  11. march — music
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stock — goods
  15. mate — a partner
  16. craft — boats
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — a skill
  22. march — the month
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — to breed

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