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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ball — a dance
  10. drill — army training
  11. suit — to fit
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. root — of a plant
  19. suit — in cards
  20. stock — goods
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. root — the cause
  23. suit — clothes
  24. root — of a word

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