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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · march · ground · stick · drill · cabinet · object · pit

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. object — a thing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — a position
  6. object — to protest
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. toast — bread
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. drill — army training
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. object — an aim
  19. pit — a hole
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. march — the month
  24. ground — the earth

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