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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. band — a music group
  4. march — the month
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. drill — army training
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. march — music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cue — a hint
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stem — to come from
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — bread
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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