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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. firm — decided
  6. track — a path
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — shares
  15. spring — the season
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — to tease
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. track — to keep track

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