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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rest — a break
  3. cue — a hint
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — for digging
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lean — thin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mine — an explosive

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