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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: stock · bank · land · cue · kid · game · cell · ruler

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — goods
  3. land — to come down
  4. bank — for money
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bank — of a river
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. land — a country
  16. cell — in biology
  17. kid — child
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. land — ground
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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