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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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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: mark · wound · stock · cue · swing · current · chest · staff

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stock — goods
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — electric
  8. mark — a grade
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chest — a box
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — of water
  15. swing — music
  16. stock — shares
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. current — happening now
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cue — a hint
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a signal
  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