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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · march · date · wind · stick · temple · bowl · ruler

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stock — shares
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — goods
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. march — music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wind — moving air

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