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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: board · cold · content · stand · cue · stock · deal · arm

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. content — happy
  7. stock — shares
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. content — the amount
  15. deal — to handle
  16. board — a committee
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cue — for pool
  21. board — to get on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stock — goods
  24. deal — a big deal

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