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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stock — shares
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — a phone
  12. charge — a price
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. charge — electricity
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. charge — in control
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stock — goods
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pass — to spend time

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