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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. drill — army training
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stock — shares
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — a position
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. drill — a practice
  18. row — a line
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. roll — a list
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bowl — to roll

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