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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — to paddle
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pop — music
  11. ground — a position
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pop — to visit
  20. row — a line
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stock — shares
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — wild animals

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