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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. track — to keep track
  5. object — a thing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. track — a song
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stock — goods
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bat — the animal
  18. object — an aim
  19. track — a path
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — in a race
  22. object — to protest
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — for baseball

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