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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stock — shares
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — a match
  11. rock — music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cue — a hint
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. date — on the calendar

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