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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: cue · ruler · cell · swing · kid · file · stock · club

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. club — a group
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kid — child
  9. stock — goods
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cue — a signal
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. cell — a phone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. file — a document
  24. cell — in biology

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