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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 · cold · stick · bowl · rule · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cue — a signal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cold — the Cold War

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