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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bark — to shout
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — for sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — goods
  14. pit — a hole
  15. stock — shares
  16. court — of law
  17. fall — the season
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — of a king
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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