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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bat — the animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — army training
  8. stock — goods
  9. board — a committee
  10. lean — thin
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rule — government
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. board — a flat piece

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