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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. track — a path
  3. shower — to wash
  4. drill — army training
  5. track — a song
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stock — shares
  8. season — in sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — a position
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stock — goods

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