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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 120 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: stick · deal · stock · club · coach · spring · cell · rule

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rule — a law
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rule — government
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stock — goods
  18. cell — in biology
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — of water
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — a group
  23. deal — to handle
  24. club — for golf

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