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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stock — goods
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stock — shares
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pop — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stand — to bear

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