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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — in football
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — goods
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — for catching
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. plane — a tool
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wind — moving air

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