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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: cue · last · stock · court · sharp · file · wave · bank

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bank — for money
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — final
  5. court — of law
  6. bank — of a river
  7. sharp — clever
  8. court — of a king
  9. cue — a hint
  10. file — a document
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. file — a line of people
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cue — a signal
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. file — a tool
  21. stock — goods
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — for sport
  24. bank — for money

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