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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.

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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: rule · tear · toast · rash · stock · foot

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. foot — a measure
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — government
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — a law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — bread
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rash — a series
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rule — to rule out

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