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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — after costs
  5. pass — a permit
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. club — for dancing
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — in sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — soda
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — for catching
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pop — music
  21. club — for golf
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — a group

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