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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stock — shares
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rock — music
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stock — goods
  10. spring — the season
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — for pool
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cell — in biology

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