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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: file · fork · wake · chair · kick · stand · cue · stock

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — shares
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cue — for pool
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. kick — in football
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stock — a soup base

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