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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chest — a box
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a great time
  5. race — humankind
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — in control
  17. drill — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. drill — a practice
  20. ball — a dance
  21. march — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stock — goods

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