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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: ruler · saw · stock · pit · bat · net · spring · lean

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. net — for catching
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — the season
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pit — in a race
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — of water

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