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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: hand · stock · patient · bass · file · cue · sharp · rule

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rule — government
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cue — a signal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hand — help
  10. stock — goods
  11. rule — a law
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hand — in cards
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bass — low music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. file — a document
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cue — for pool
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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