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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — a face
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — a thing
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. object — to protest
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. object — an aim
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bore — gave birth

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