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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · land · can · ball · row · spell · ruler · rule

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — shares
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — to come down
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. spell — magic
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — government
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — a law
  23. land — a country
  24. can — a tin

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