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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: scale · wound · rule · date · stock · march · jam · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stock — shares
  3. scale — in music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — hurry
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — a law
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stock — goods
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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