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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: rule · plane · current · snap · stock · mate · cue · chest

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cue — for pool
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mate — a friend
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to click
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. current — happening now
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rule — government
  24. cue — a hint

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