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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chest — a box
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. chest — of your body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stock — shares
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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