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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. stock — shares
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fine — high quality
  13. row — a line
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. toast — bread
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mine — for digging

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