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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. pop — music
  4. present — a gift
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cell — in biology
  7. present — the time now
  8. pop — soda
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pop — to visit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — a series
  15. cell — a phone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. object — to protest
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. object — a thing
  22. present — there
  23. object — an aim
  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