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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: rule · cell · mark · bat · stock · kick · lie · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kick — in football
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stock — goods
  11. rule — a law
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rule — government
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stock — shares
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mark — a grade

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