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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: stock · lie · last · board · cue · bark · cabinet · roll

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — to go on
  5. lie — to recline
  6. roll — a list
  7. stock — goods
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. board — a committee
  15. stock — shares
  16. last — final
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. board — to get on
  20. cue — a signal
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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