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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stock — goods
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fork — in a road
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chest — of your body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stock — shares
  14. drill — army training
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fine — all right
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — a box
  24. stock — a soup base

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