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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — in music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — the season
  6. march — music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stock — goods
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stock — shares
  13. march — the month
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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