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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: hand · stock · bat · mate · mug · fan · cue · bear

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — goods
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mate — a friend

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