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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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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: march · swing · ruler · stock · row · charge

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stock — goods
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. march — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — shares
  8. charge — in control
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — music
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a line
  16. swing — in golf
  17. charge — a price
  18. row — to paddle

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