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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — a video
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bore — to drill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fork — in a road
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. leaves — to go away

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