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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stock — goods
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a hint
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — a committee
  15. kid — to tease
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stock — shares
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. swing — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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