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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. land — ground
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. land — a country
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stock — shares
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — goods
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cue — for pool
  15. court — of law
  16. season — in sport
  17. rock — music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. court — for sport
  20. land — to come down
  21. season — of the year
  22. cue — a hint
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rock — a stone

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