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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — a practice
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — a contest
  16. track — a path
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — the tool
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. race — humankind
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — the 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