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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — a grade
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stock — goods
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — shares
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. scale — for weighing

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