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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: land · race · suit · bore · sharp · stock · hand · saw

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — to drill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. race — the arms race
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — a country
  13. race — a contest
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. suit — clothes
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — help
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stock — goods

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