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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stock — goods
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — low music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — magic
  15. land — a country
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. land — ground
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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