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

Word bank: fork · net · arm · rule · stock · bore · firm · sharp

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. net — in sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bore — to tire
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rule — government
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — goods
  11. rule — a law
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. firm — steady
  16. fork — in a road
  17. net — for catching
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. firm — decided
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. firm — a company

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