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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a path
  5. drill — army training
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — the tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stock — goods
  11. track — to keep track
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — shares
  14. roll — a cake
  15. swing — to play on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — rain
  19. swing — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. track — a song
  22. swing — in golf
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hide — animal skin

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