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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: bat · stock · mouse · cue · rock · pass · content · season

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stock — goods
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rock — music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — the amount
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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