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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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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 · club · fork · pitch · content · vault · mine · stock

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. club — a group
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cue — for pool
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cue — a hint
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — shares

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