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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — to protest
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — a group
  7. object — a thing
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. club — for dancing
  10. drill — army training
  11. stock — goods
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stock — shares
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. drill — the tool
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — for golf
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pitch — completely

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