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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to tire
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — shares
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. tube — a container
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — goods
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tube — the underground
  24. staff — a stick

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