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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. craft — boats
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — wild animals
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — goods
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stock — shares

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