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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: stock · sharp · content · current · capital · patient · date · ruler

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — money
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stock — goods
  7. content — happy
  8. current — electric
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. current — happening now
  22. date — the fruit
  23. current — of water
  24. content — the amount

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