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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stock — goods
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — to go on
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. present — the time now
  11. chest — a box
  12. present — there
  13. stock — shares
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — final
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. present — a gift
  24. rash — on the skin

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