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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — an illness
  4. firm — a company
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — decided
  11. pop — music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — soda
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stock — shares
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stock — goods
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — the animal

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