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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. file — a document
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — for catching
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kid — child
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — a position
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stock — a soup base

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