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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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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: firm · racket · last · press · stock · ruler

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. firm — a company
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — to go on
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — final
  7. firm — steady
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. firm — decided
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. press — newspapers
  15. last — finally
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  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