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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. track — a path
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. suit — in cards
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. suit — clothes
  17. degree — an amount
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. track — to keep track
  20. drill — army training
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ground — crushed
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — a position

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