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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — a group
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. game — wild animals
  10. row — a line
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. row — to paddle
  13. club — for golf
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. club — for dancing
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a match
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stock — shares
  20. drill — a practice
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. drill — the tool
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. game — a kind of play

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