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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. fork — in a road
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. track — a path
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bore — to drill
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bore — to tire
  22. track — to keep track
  23. row — a quarrel
  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