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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: stock · rash · cue · trunk · charge · fork · bat · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rash — a series
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stock — shares
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. charge — electricity
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fork — in a road

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