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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 need to ________________ round.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. pop — to visit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rest — a break
  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