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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
468
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: file · date · stick · bulb · cue · squash · game · hand

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — in cards
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. game — a match
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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