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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rule — a law
  6. bore — to tire
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. current — of water
  10. row — a line
  11. current — happening now
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pop — soda
  17. march — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stock — goods
  20. rule — government
  21. current — electric
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — shares

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