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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. spell — magic
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. snap — to click
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — letters
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stock — shares
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fork — a garden tool

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