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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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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stock — goods
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — to bend
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — happy
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stock — shares
  24. ruler — for measuring

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