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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 · rush · cell · cold · net · rule · cue · club

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. club — a group
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. club — for dancing
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — help
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — in cards
  20. club — for golf
  21. rule — government
  22. net — after costs
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rule — a law

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