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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pass — a permit
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bore — to tire
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stock — goods
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. firm — decided
  15. bore — to drill
  16. firm — steady
  17. stock — shares
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. firm — a company
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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