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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stock — goods
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. root — the cause
  22. bat — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. stock — shares

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