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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bore — to drill
  5. key — for a lock
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. key — in music
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — in sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. season — of the year
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stock — goods
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. key — the most important part

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