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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stock — shares
  3. last — to go on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. net — after costs
  7. rule — government
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — for catching
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — finally
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. stock — goods
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — a law
  24. prune — to trim

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