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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: ruler · kid · fall · suit · mine · stock · march · fork

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. stock — goods
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — shares
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. suit — in cards
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — child
  20. march — music
  21. suit — clothes
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stock — a soup base
  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