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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stock — shares
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — goods
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bore — to tire
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — in sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — music

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