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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. key — for a lock
  8. board — a committee
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. board — to get on
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — army training
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — in a race
  19. last — final
  20. key — the most important part
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. key — in music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. last — finally

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