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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fall — the season
  5. stock — goods
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. can — to be able to
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mark — a trace
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — the amount

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