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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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468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — in a race
  4. drill — a practice
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — shares
  17. perch — the fish
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stock — goods
  22. toast — bread
  23. scale — size or range
  24. drill — the tool

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