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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mate — to breed
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rule — government
  9. drill — army training
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fall — the season
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — goods
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rule — a law
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stock — shares

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