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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — in control
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stock — shares
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stock — goods
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cue — a hint
  17. toast — bread
  18. cue — for pool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chair — a leader
  23. charge — a price
  24. chair — to sit on

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