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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stock — shares
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — to drill
  10. file — a document
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. file — a line of people
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — goods
  18. bore — to tire
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. rock — a stone

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