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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: pit · shower · fork · chest · stock · bowl · drill · board

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chest — a box
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. board — to get on
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — a committee
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. shower — rain
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stock — shares
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stock — goods
  24. bowl — a dish

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