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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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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: cue · fork · content · race · bulb · date · stick · stand

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. date — the fruit
  10. race — humankind
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. fork — in a road
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. race — a contest
  24. bulb — of a plant

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