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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — goods
  5. cue — a signal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — to get on
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — for pool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — a match
  21. board — a committee
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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