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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. row — a line
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — goods
  5. bore — to drill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stock — shares
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — to tire
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — to go on
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ball — a dance
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — a soup base

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