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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: fork · stock · mate · bay · cue · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fork — in a road
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stock — shares

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