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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rule — government
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rule — a law
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kid — child
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bear — to put up with

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