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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: stock · track · cue · date · racket · game

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. track — a path
  3. stock — shares
  4. cue — a signal
  5. game — a match
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — for pool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stock — goods
  17. date — the fruit
  18. game — a kind of play

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