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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. object — an aim
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — shares
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a document
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — to protest
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. stock — goods
  23. craft — boats
  24. wave — with your hand

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