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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — a position
  3. stock — goods
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stock — shares
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. file — a tool
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. row — a line
  17. file — a document
  18. lean — thin
  19. stand — to bear
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — to paddle

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