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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. track — to keep track
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. track — a path
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pop — soda
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. track — a song
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pop — music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pop — to visit
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. coach — a trainer

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