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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stock — shares
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lie — to recline
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — goods
  17. drill — army training
  18. current — happening now
  19. drill — a practice
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — electric
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. current — of water
  24. kick — in football

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