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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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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: mark · fork · stick · cold · squash · object · deal · stock

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. stock — goods
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stock — shares
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mark — a trace
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. deal — an agreement

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