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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. drill — army training
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stock — goods
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. last — final
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — to go on
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. scale — size or range
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — in a race
  19. court — of a king
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. pit — a hole

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