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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: pitcher · cue · chest · club · season · staff · object · stock

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — shares
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — a box
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cue — a signal
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — an aim
  19. stock — goods
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cue — for pool

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