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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stock — goods
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — army training
  10. rash — a series
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. track — a song
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stock — shares
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. track — a path
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — the season

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