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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pit — in a race
  8. roll — a list
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hand — help
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. key — the most important part
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stock — goods
  19. key — in music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stock — shares
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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