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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · cue · club · suit · last · file · bass · wind

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. file — a document
  11. last — to go on
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for dancing
  16. last — final
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a line of people
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. file — a tool
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — finally

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