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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 120 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: drill · bear · pit · ruler · bound · last · land · stock

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. last — to go on
  4. stock — shares
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. last — finally
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. land — to come down
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — army training
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. last — final
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — ground

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