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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. scale — in music
  8. snap — to click
  9. stock — shares
  10. scale — size or range
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bore — to drill
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — to bear
  18. season — of the year
  19. stock — goods
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — for weighing

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