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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: rule · stock · ball · cue · board · fall · capital · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rule — a law
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. capital — money
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rule — government
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ball — a dance
  21. capital — a city
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ball — a round shape

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