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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — for catching
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — in sport
  17. chest — a box
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mate — a partner
  24. net — after costs

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