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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: club · suit · fine · straw · stick · date · stock · kick

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fine — all right
  5. club — for golf
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stock — shares
  18. kick — in football
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stock — goods
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. date — on the calendar

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