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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: bay · mine · staff · stock · dip · game · fan · cue

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. staff — employees
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cue — a signal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stock — goods
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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