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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — finally
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lie — to recline
  11. club — a group
  12. drill — army training
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — to go on
  15. scale — in music
  16. drill — a practice
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — to be able to

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