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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kid — to tease
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to click
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. kid — child

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