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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — for digging
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — of the year
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — from a university
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — a publisher
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — in sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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