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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. band — a music group
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cell — a phone
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. band — a ring
  18. cap — of ice
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cap — a hat
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. cell — in biology

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