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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stock — shares
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — ground
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stock — goods
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — a country
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chest — a box
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bore — to drill
  24. dip — to sink

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