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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 116 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: cue · face · stock · club · wind · saw · field · squash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. field — a subject
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cue — a hint
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — to confront
  8. club — for golf
  9. squash — the sport
  10. club — a group
  11. face — part of the head
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — for dancing
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — shares
  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