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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: net · tear · march · current · date · squash · pop · ruler

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. current — of water
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pop — music
  7. current — happening now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tear — to rip
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pop — soda
  24. net — in sport

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