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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — a signal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cue — a hint
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. net — after costs
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stock — shares
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — for catching
  24. stock — goods

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