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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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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: march · pit · kick · straw · drill · bank · stock · chip

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — the tool
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. kick — in football
  10. march — music
  11. stock — shares
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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