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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: cue · stock · deal · calf · file · bound · fan · cold

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — not warm
  12. file — a document
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — goods
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a tool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cue — a signal
  24. deal — an agreement

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