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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · roll · fork · rule · stock · temple · date

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — to wash
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. roll — a cake
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. rule — government
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rule — a law

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