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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. club — for golf
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. safe — out of danger

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