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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bore — to drill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. press — to push
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bank — for money
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — help
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cell — in biology
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stock — goods
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stock — shares
  24. bank — for money

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