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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stock — goods
  7. march — music
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stock — shares
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — to handle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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