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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — a leader
  7. drill — army training
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wind — to turn a key

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