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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pop — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — to drill
  11. drill — army training
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — of water
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. pop — soda
  19. stock — shares
  20. track — a song
  21. spring — the season
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. current — electric

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