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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. rash — a series
  5. fork — in a road
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. land — to come down
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stock — goods
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — the tool
  16. suit — to fit
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. suit — in cards
  22. land — ground
  23. drill — army training
  24. stock — shares

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