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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. field — a subject
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. stock — shares
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rest — a break
  9. stock — goods
  10. field — farmland
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cue — a hint
  16. field — for sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fall — the season
  21. cue — for pool
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — to sink

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