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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
468
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: ground · ruler · plane · straw · stock · current · pitch · chest

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — a box
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. current — electric
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stock — shares
  13. chest — of your body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — crushed
  16. current — of water
  17. stock — goods
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitch — completely

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