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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. track — to keep track
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stock — goods
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — shares
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. track — a song
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — music

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