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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 120 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 · prune · file · stock · bat · pop · mate · cell

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bat — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — goods
  12. pop — music
  13. cue — for pool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. stock — shares
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. file — a document
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cue — a hint

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