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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a music group
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. band — a ring
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — shares
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pop — music
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stock — goods
  24. pop — to visit

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