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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. game — wild animals
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hand — help
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. game — a match
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. suit — clothes
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. sharp — clever
  23. suit — in cards
  24. stock — goods

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