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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · stock · firm · field · capital · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. toast — bread
  3. firm — a company
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. firm — decided
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. firm — steady
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stock — shares
  16. capital — a city
  17. field — a subject
  18. ruler — for measuring

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