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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — shares
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — of a word
  9. chest — of your body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. file — a document
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. file — a tool
  19. chest — a box
  20. rest — a break
  21. bore — to drill
  22. root — the cause
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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