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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. present — a gift
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — to fit
  7. capital — money
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. craft — boats
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. present — the time now
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. present — there
  17. drill — a practice
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. staff — employees
  20. capital — a city
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. file — a document
  24. drill — army training

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