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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · fall · stock · ruler · plane · bass · straw · cue

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cue — a hint
  13. march — the month
  14. cue — for pool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bass — low music
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cue — a signal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fall — to drop

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