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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 · ruler · shower · roll · toast · staff · content · bass

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. content — happy
  11. stock — shares
  12. bass — the fish
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. roll — a list
  15. content — the amount
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. toast — bread
  20. bass — low music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. shower — to wash
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bass — the instrument

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