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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.

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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 · stock · ground · stand · court · mark · club · lash

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — of law
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — a position
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mark — a trace
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. club — for golf

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