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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. firm — a company
  4. track — a song
  5. stock — goods
  6. pop — to visit
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. firm — decided
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bore — to drill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. firm — steady
  21. bore — to tire
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a path
  24. pop — 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