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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chip — to eat
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cue — a hint
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cue — for pool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. chip — for betting
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. stock — shares
  24. object — to protest

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