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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: stock · ruler · track · straw · plane · net · cue · wind

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. track — a song
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — for catching
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stock — goods
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — shares
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. track — a path
  24. plane — a tool

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