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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — a container
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. last — finally
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. last — final
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — to go on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. root — of a word
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. stock — shares
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — a practice
  24. root — the cause

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