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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stock — goods
  5. bore — to tire
  6. row — to paddle
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bore — to drill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stock — shares
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. row — a line
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rock — music

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