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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · mate · chip · bore · pit · fork · bat · lie

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stock — goods
  24. fork — in a road

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