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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. stock — shares
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. shower — rain
  6. pop — to visit
  7. root — of a plant
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pop — music
  11. root — of a word
  12. present — a gift
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bore — to tire
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. shower — to wash
  20. root — the cause
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. safe — out of danger
  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