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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — crushed
  9. drill — army training
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. chest — a box
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. ground — a position
  21. stock — shares
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fork — a garden tool

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