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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bore — to tire
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cell — in biology
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stock — goods
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wake — a trail
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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