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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — all right
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — shares
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mug — a cup

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