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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: mug · clip · wake · cue · stand · date · hand · court

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mug — a face
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — help
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. stand — to bear
  10. court — for sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — the fruit
  18. court — of law
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cue — a signal

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