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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: leaves · rule · cue · row · stock · pit · club · cold

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. cue — for pool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. club — a group
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. pit — a hole

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