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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. last — finally
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — shares
  18. drill — a practice
  19. last — to go on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — a position
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — crushed

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