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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — goods
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mug — a face
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — shares
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bass — low music

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