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

Word bank: safe · jam · cold · cue · sharp · rest · stock · wind

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rest — what's left
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rest — a break
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cue — a hint
  24. sharp — exactly

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