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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a document
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — in sport
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a line of people
  17. land — to come down
  18. mug — a cup
  19. net — for catching
  20. file — a tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. net — after costs

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