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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · rock · sharp · drill · key · tube · stock · ground

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rock — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. ground — a position
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rock — a stone
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tube — a container
  14. field — farmland
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — crushed
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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