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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: ball · straw · fork · stock · dip · rash · cue · pit

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stock — goods
  4. rash — a series
  5. stock — shares
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — hasty
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ball — a dance
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pit — a hole

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