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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stem — to come from
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — goods
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — shares
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — of a plant

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