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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: mark · pit · cue · roll · prune · chest · stock · dip

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cue — a hint
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stock — goods
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — to sink

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