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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. firm — decided
  10. toast — bread
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. firm — a company
  14. degree — from a university
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. degree — temperature
  20. firm — steady
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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