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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. stock — shares
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. current — of water
  7. content — the amount
  8. bank — for money
  9. current — electric
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — of ice
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — happening now
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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