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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spell — letters
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stock — shares
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. stock — goods
  24. fall — the season

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