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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a ring
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — the animal
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. band — a music group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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