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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stock — goods
  9. rock — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fall — the season
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spell — letters
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spell — magic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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