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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — goods
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — of water
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stock — shares
  16. club — a group
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — electric
  21. club — for golf
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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