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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. march — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. land — a country
  17. stock — shares
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. drill — army training

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