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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stock — goods
  3. mug — to rob
  4. craft — boats
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mug — a face
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chest — a box
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — to rip

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