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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stock — goods
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cold — not warm
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cue — a signal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mate — a partner
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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