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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. game — a match
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. toast — bread
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. land — a country
  11. bore — to drill
  12. game — wild animals
  13. spring — of water
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. land — to come down

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