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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — a song
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — low music
  14. mine — for digging
  15. content — happy
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — the amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a path
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bore — to tire

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