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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cue — a signal
  3. court — of law
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. roll — a list
  7. cue — a hint
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — low music
  11. court — for sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. roll — a cake
  21. spring — of water
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bass — the fish

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