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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — goods
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. staff — a stick
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. season — of the year
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. staff — employees
  24. stock — shares

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