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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. capital — money
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. board — a committee
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. craft — a skill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — army training
  16. craft — boats
  17. stock — goods
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. court — of a king
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. capital — a city
  24. fall — the season

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