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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — for paper
  5. object — to protest
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pop — soda
  18. bore — to tire
  19. object — a thing
  20. stock — goods
  21. object — an aim
  22. clip — a video
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — to breed

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