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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stock — goods
  3. shower — rain
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a friend
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stock — shares
  9. rash — hasty
  10. board — to get on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. board — a committee
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bore — to tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a music group
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. board — a flat piece

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