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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rule — a law
  3. bound — obliged
  4. club — for golf
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. field — a subject
  8. bound — certain
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. can — a tin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. club — a group
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — shares
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rule — government
  24. can — to be able to

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