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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — a position
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stock — goods
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. band — a music group
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — in cards
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. game — wild animals

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