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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stock — goods
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mark — a trace
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bore — to tire
  24. row — a line

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