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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: racket · can · bore · chest · roll · snap · stock · track

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bore — to tire
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chest — of your body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. roll — a list
  9. can — a tin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to click
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stock — goods
  21. chest — a box
  22. can — a tin
  23. bore — gave birth
  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