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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: drill · pitcher · bay · file · stock · mate · toast · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — goods
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. stock — shares
  9. file — a tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — the tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. toast — bread
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. file — a document
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mate — a partner

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