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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — shares
  4. rock — music
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stock — goods
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. object — a thing
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rock — a stone
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. season — in sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cell — a phone
  22. object — to protest
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rock — to move gently

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