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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bore — to tire
  8. scale — size or range
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. stock — shares
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — in music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stock — goods

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