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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fine — all right
  3. bore — to tire
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bore — to drill
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fine — high quality
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — shares
  14. club — for golf
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — wild animals
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cold — an illness
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — not warm
  23. saw — the tool
  24. club — a group

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