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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bound — certain
  9. swing — in golf
  10. dip — to sink
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — to tire
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stock — goods
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. dip — a sauce

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