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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 · cell · pit · stock · kick · bound · club · rule

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rule — a law
  7. kick — in football
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — certain
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rule — government
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. club — for golf
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. cell — in biology
  24. club — a group

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