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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — goods
  3. present — the time now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to click
  7. bore — to tire
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — music
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. present — a gift
  21. ground — a position
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ground — the earth
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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