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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: game · pound · track · stock · straw · ruler · club · pitcher

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — a weight
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — a match
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. club — for golf
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. club — a group
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. track — a song
  23. game — wild animals
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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