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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: cold · charge · stick · racket · stock · ruler · hide · rock

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stock — goods
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. charge — a price
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rock — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. charge — in control
  24. racket — for tennis

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