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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bore — to drill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — to tire
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — army training
  23. bear — the animal
  24. march — music

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