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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: wake · stock · kid · racket · cue · present · drill · row

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — for pool
  4. drill — army training
  5. stock — goods
  6. kid — to tease
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. present — there
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kid — child
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. present — a gift
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. row — a line
  22. present — the time now
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stock — shares

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