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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — the tool
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stock — goods
  7. track — a song
  8. drill — a practice
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. drill — army training
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. track — a path
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cell — in a prison

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