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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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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: last · row · face · band · suit · cue · stock · pitcher

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — for pool
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. suit — in cards
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stock — goods
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. row — a line
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cue — a hint
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — a quarrel

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