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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — a list
  3. rest — a break
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — from crying
  9. march — the month
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stock — goods
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a cake
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kick — in football
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tear — to rip
  24. march — music

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