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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: drill · cabinet · degree · coach · stock · bound · fall · ruler

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — the season
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. degree — from a university
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. drill — a practice
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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