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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 · current · toast · last · shower · ruler · prune · court

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — of a king
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. last — to go on
  5. current — of water
  6. court — of law
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stock — goods
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — for sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. stock — shares
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — bread
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — final
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. toast — the most admired

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