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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: straw · face · date · stock · stick · saw · cue · swing

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cue — a hint
  10. face — to confront
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stock — shares
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. saw — the tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cue — a signal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. swing — music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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