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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rock — a stone
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. band — a ring
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a music group
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stock — shares
  24. ground — the earth

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