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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stock — goods
  4. kid — child
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — to drill
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. row — a line
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stock — shares
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bore — to tire

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