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

Word bank: nail · vault · file · bore · tear · date · stock · pit

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stock — goods
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — to tire
  8. vault — a safe
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bore — to drill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tear — to rip
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — a soup base
  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