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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. stock — shares
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tube — a container
  5. bore — to tire
  6. net — in sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tube — the underground
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — goods
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ball — a great time

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