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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bore — to tire
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. present — there
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mate — to breed
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — a partner
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — a gift
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. snap — to click
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stock — shares

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