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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — shares
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — of water
  6. pop — music
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. current — happening now
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — soda
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — electric
  19. fall — the season
  20. stock — goods
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pop — to visit

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