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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stock — shares
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a path
  7. band — a ring
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. sharp — clever
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — goods
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cue — a signal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. shower — rain
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rock — music

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