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

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — finally
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. last — to go on
  8. stock — shares
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. last — final
  17. file — a tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bore — to drill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. stock — goods

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