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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cue — a hint
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — a country
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — goods
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cue — for pool
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cue — a signal
  24. capital — a big letter

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