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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 116 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: cue · cell · clip · stock · bore · object

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. object — to protest
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stock — shares
  5. cue — for pool
  6. object — a thing
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — a hint
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bore — to drill
  17. object — an aim
  18. stock — goods

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