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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: perch · content · firm · track · cue · stock · hand · kick

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. firm — steady
  5. kick — in football
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stock — goods
  9. firm — a company
  10. hand — help
  11. firm — decided
  12. hand — in cards
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. perch — the fish
  15. track — a path
  16. content — happy
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — shares
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — the amount

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