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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rush — hurry
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — of the year
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. date — the fruit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stock — shares
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — to drill
  21. present — the time now
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — a soup base

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