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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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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: rash · cue · stock · pit · pound · craft · content · field

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. craft — boats
  5. field — farmland
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rash — hasty
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. field — a subject
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. field — for sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. content — the amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pound — a weight
  21. content — happy
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cue — for pool
  24. craft — a skill

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