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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: bore · stock · track · club · fine · fall · mine · foot

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stock — goods
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fine — all right
  10. stock — shares
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fine — high quality
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. club — a group
  16. fall — the season
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fall — to drop
  24. track — a path

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