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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — in sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rock — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bore — to tire
  15. season — of the year
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. stock — goods
  24. race — humankind

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