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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — goods
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — a division
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. lie — to recline
  15. toast — bread
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. shower — rain
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. drill — army training

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