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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — goods
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — shares
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. object — an aim
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. object — a thing
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — to protest
  12. bore — to drill
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — ground
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bore — gave birth

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