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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. firm — a company
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stock — goods
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — to cut
  10. firm — decided
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. drill — the tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bore — to drill
  18. deal — to handle
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stock — shares
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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