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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: field · snap · craft · stock · cue · chest · safe · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stock — shares
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. field — farmland
  20. cue — a hint
  21. craft — boats
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. field — a subject

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