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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: lean · stock · cue · pitch · suit · wake · snap · file

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stock — goods
  4. wake — a trail
  5. suit — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. pitch — completely
  9. snap — to click
  10. file — a tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stock — shares
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cue — a hint
  20. lean — thin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. suit — clothes
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — before a funeral

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