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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stock — goods
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. dip — to sink
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — an amount
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spell — letters
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a line
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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