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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stock — goods
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stock — shares
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — to go on
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. drill — army training
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. drill — the tool
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. coach — a trainer

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