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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: lean · rule · present · cell · mate · net · stock · ruler

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — for catching
  3. stock — shares
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. present — the time now
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cell — a phone
  10. present — there
  11. net — in sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. net — after costs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — a law
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rule — government
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stock — goods
  24. cell — in biology

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