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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: roll · calf · plane · rule · shower · content · date · stock

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. roll — a cake
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. stock — goods
  10. shower — to wash
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. roll — a list
  16. stock — shares
  17. rule — government
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rule — a law
  24. content — happy

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