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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — happening now
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fork — in a road
  14. current — of water
  15. clip — to cut
  16. current — electric
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. kid — child
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stock — shares
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bore — to drill

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