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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · date · cue · track · net · pitcher · rush · mine

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — after costs
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — for pool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — a path
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. game — a match
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cue — a signal
  20. net — in sport
  21. track — to keep track
  22. net — for catching
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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