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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — shares
  5. face — to point toward
  6. degree — an amount
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — to tire
  11. staff — a stick
  12. degree — from a university
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — hasty
  15. degree — temperature
  16. capital — money
  17. stock — goods
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — a series
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — to confront

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