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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — ground
  5. swing — to play on
  6. object — a thing
  7. land — to come down
  8. object — to protest
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. swing — in golf
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — magic
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — an aim
  19. spell — letters
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. land — a country
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bore — to tire

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