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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rule — a law
  3. toast — bread
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. staff — a stick
  9. branch — a division
  10. club — for golf
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. club — a group
  14. staff — employees
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. bore — to drill
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. club — for dancing

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