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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 play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. content — happy
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cue — a signal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — the amount
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chip — for betting

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