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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. shower — rain
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a music group
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stock — goods

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