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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. drill — army training
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — goods
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. scale — size or range

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