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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: kick · firm · sharp · date · roll · stock · patient · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — goods
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. drill — army training
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. firm — decided
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. kick — in football
  16. drill — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. firm — steady
  19. sharp — clever
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — the fruit
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. firm — a company

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