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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 · pit · stock · stand · sharp · cold · bound · fan

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stand — to bear
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stock — goods
  24. pit — in a race

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