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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: game · bay · pop · mine · bore · stock · rule · straw

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — to tire
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rule — a law
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rule — government
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pop — soda
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pop — music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. game — a match
  23. pop — to visit
  24. straw — a straw man

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