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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 116 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. field — a subject
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rule — government
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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