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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: rule · stock · bay · foot · hand · bat · game · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stock — goods
  5. rule — government
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stock — shares
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rule — a law
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stock — a soup base

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