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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — goods
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cue — a signal
  15. march — the month
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — wild animals
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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