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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. drill — army training
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. drill — a practice
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. squash — the sport
  18. key — in music
  19. rock — music
  20. rule — government
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — to crush

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