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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 116 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: cue · calf · fork · rash · ground · court · stock · press

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. court — of a king
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fork — in a road
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. court — of law
  12. stock — goods
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — a hint
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. press — to push
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cue — a signal

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