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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 116 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: stock · clip · cue · pass · branch · game · ball · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stock — goods
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. branch — a division
  9. cue — a hint
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. clip — a video
  13. game — a match
  14. pass — a permit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — part of the head
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a great time

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