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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bore — to drill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pit — in a race
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kid — child
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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