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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rest — a break
  4. bore — to tire
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stock — goods
  13. band — a ring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a music group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — shares
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — the season
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. game — a match
  24. fall — to drop

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