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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: branch · mate · face · pitcher · cue · sharp · stock · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. face — to point toward
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. mate — to breed

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