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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stock — goods
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stock — shares
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — money
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — a break
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cold — not warm
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. deal — a big deal

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