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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: jam · cold · stock · fall · stick · march · squash · current

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. current — of water
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — the month
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — electric
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. squash — to crush
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — shares
  17. fall — the season
  18. current — happening now
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stock — goods
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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