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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a ring
  9. bore — to tire
  10. band — a music group
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ground — a position
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bore — to drill

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