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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cue — a hint
  3. land — ground
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — final
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spell — magic
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — a permit
  13. land — a country
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spell — letters
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — to come down
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — a signal
  22. last — to go on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. band — a ring

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