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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. net — after costs
  3. season — of the year
  4. stem — to come from
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — for catching
  10. kick — in football
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bore — to tire
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — to keep track
  19. current — of water
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — electric
  24. track — a path

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