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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: firm · wake · game · mark · club · cue · file · bass

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. club — a group
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. firm — a company
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a document
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. file — a tool
  16. firm — decided
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bass — low music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a grade
  22. club — for golf
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cue — for pool

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