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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — in a race
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. clip — a video
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — army training
  23. pit — a hole
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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