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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stock — goods
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stock — shares
  10. track — a path
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — low music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a song
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bass — the instrument

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