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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stock — goods
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. drill — the tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stock — shares
  12. key — in music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tube — a container
  15. face — to confront
  16. club — for dancing
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. club — a group
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stand — to bear
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tube — in a tire

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