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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cue — for pool
  3. march — the month
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a document
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cue — a signal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — goods
  24. cabinet — ministers

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