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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stock — shares
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stock — goods
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — crushed
  11. game — a match
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. ground — the earth
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — in football
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bore — to drill

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