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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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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: snap · ruler · stock · cold · foot · lean · mate · drill

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — an illness
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — thin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stock — shares
  16. snap — to click
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stock — goods
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. ruler — a monarch

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