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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rash — a series
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. branch — a division
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chair — a professorship

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