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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 · coach · field · game · cue · straw · dip · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stock — goods
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. field — farmland
  7. game — wild animals
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. game — a match
  14. cue — a signal
  15. field — a subject
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — shares
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cue — for pool
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cue — a hint

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