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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stock — goods
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pop — to visit
  15. net — after costs
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — soda
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — for catching
  24. chip — in a computer

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