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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: net · stock · chair · ball · cue · track · saw · band

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. track — a song
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. net — for catching
  14. ball — a dance
  15. saw — the tool
  16. track — a path
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. band — a rubber band

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