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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a line
  16. key — in music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — in biology
  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