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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. last — finally
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. foot — a measure
  6. sharp — clever
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stock — goods
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. drill — army training
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. last — final
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. last — to go on
  24. sharp — exactly

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