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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cue — for pool
  3. track — a song
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a path
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — a division
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — shares
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. track — to keep track
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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