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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bore — to drill
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stock — goods
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — the Cold War

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