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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · bore · craft · stock · pitch · roll · clip · chest

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stock — shares
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chest — a box
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — for paper
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. clip — to cut

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