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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stock — shares
  4. cue — a hint
  5. snap — to click
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — help
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — for digging

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