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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stock — goods
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — to paddle
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. row — a line
  11. toast — bread
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bark — to shout
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stock — shares
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cold — the Cold War

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