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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · pound · stock · lean · cold · pitcher · can · racket

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — goods
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. can — a tin

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