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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bore — to tire
  6. march — the month
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — in football
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — goods
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — ground
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pop — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. season — in sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. land — a country
  22. pop — soda
  23. march — music
  24. land — to come down

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