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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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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: ruler · rule · shower · stock · toast · stick · pitcher · swing

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — to play on
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — to wash
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. shower — rain
  18. stock — goods
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — shares
  24. rule — to rule out

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