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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: present · ruler · pop · wind · temple · face · stock · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — the time now
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. date — the fruit
  6. face — to confront
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. present — there
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pop — music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — shares
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — a gift
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pop — soda
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stock — goods
  24. ruler — a monarch

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