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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: rule · content · stock · straw · bat · mug · jam · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mug — a face
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — goods
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bat — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. content — happy
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rule — a law
  22. content — the amount
  23. stock — shares
  24. rule — government

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