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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pop — soda
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stock — shares
  13. pop — music
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cue — a signal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stock — a soup base

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