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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 120 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chair — a leader
  6. scale — in music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. snap — to click
  11. cue — for pool
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. mate — a friend
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cue — a signal
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — goods
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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