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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · pitcher · lash · ball · stock · chair · deal · clip

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ball — a great time
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ball — a dance
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stock — shares
  19. cue — for pool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — a video
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lash — to lash out

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