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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mate — to breed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spell — magic
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stock — shares
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — letters
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bore — gave birth

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