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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: field · rash · ruler · stock · craft · kid · squash · date

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. 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. ruler — for measuring
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kid — child
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. date — the fruit
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kid — to tease
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. field — farmland
  24. 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