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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bore — to tire
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stock — goods
  7. march — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. row — a line
  12. march — the month
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — for golf
  21. march — the month
  22. club — a group
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stock — a soup base

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