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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · face · saw · swing · spell · stock · bore · cue

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cue — a signal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pop — soda
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pop — to visit
  11. face — to confront
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pop — music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spell — magic
  19. swing — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stock — goods
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stock — shares
  24. saw — the tool

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