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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stock — shares
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — to drill
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. object — a thing
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cue — a hint

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