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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.

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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. degree — from a university
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — army training
  9. rock — music
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. ball — a great time
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. row — a line

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