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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fine — high quality
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — shares
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. degree — temperature
  15. present — a gift
  16. fine — all right
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — to tire
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — goods
  21. present — the time now
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. present — there
  24. squash — the sport

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