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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — goods
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stock — shares
  15. file — a document
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fork — a garden tool

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