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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stock — shares
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — goods
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — for sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a great time
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — in sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rock — music

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