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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cue — for pool
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stock — goods
  7. rock — a stone
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — all right
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — music
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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