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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. root — the cause
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. scale — size or range
  12. suit — to fit
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stock — goods
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. root — of a plant
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. suit — clothes
  24. drill — a practice

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