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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 120 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: suit · wake · chest · stock · swing · cue · cold · bound

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — shares
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cue — a signal
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cue — for pool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. swing — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stock — goods
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bound — certain

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