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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pit — in a race
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — a hole
  11. track — a song
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cue — a signal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. season — of the year
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cue — for pool

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