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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: plane · snap · present · drill · foot · stick · stock · mate

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. mate — a friend
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. drill — the tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. drill — army training
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. foot — a measure

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