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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stock — goods
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kick — in football
  5. fine — high quality
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — soda
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. march — music
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — for baseball

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