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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. deal — to handle
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. deal — an agreement

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