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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 120 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: bay · bark · stock · press · stick · race · cue · ball

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stock — shares
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cue — for pool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ball — a dance
  24. press — to push

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