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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — in music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stock — goods
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. roll — a cake
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bore — to drill
  19. dip — to sink
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. roll — a list
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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