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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — to go on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stock — shares
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stock — goods
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — final
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tear — from crying
  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