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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bore — to tire
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stock — shares
  5. bore — to drill
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stock — goods
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fall — the season
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fall — to drop
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cold — not warm

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