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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: rule · hide · stock · chair · root · cue · club · degree

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — from a university
  3. root — of a word
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — a group
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — for pool
  10. club — for golf
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. root — of a plant
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stock — shares
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rule — government
  21. root — the cause
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — goods

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