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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. shower — rain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — a signal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. land — ground
  17. scale — in music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — a country
  22. march — music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stock — goods

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