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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bore — to drill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — ground
  12. pound — a weight
  13. court — for sport
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stock — goods
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — a country
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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