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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — final
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — to go on
  13. stock — shares
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ground — crushed
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — to handle
  21. last — finally
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ground — a position
  24. mark — a trace

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