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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. drill — army training
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stock — goods
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. drill — a practice
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pass — a permit
  19. land — a country
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — ground
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stock — shares
  24. wound — an injury

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