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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: pitcher · race · stock · cue · kick · season · fan · arm

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — of the year
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. race — a contest
  15. season — in sport
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. kick — in football
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — goods

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