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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: race · pitcher · patient · bat · cue · hand · lie · stock

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — goods
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — shares
  7. bat — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — to recline
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — the arms race

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