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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chest — a box
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mate — a partner
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stock — goods
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stock — shares
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — to breed

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