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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — child
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — goods
  7. fork — in a road
  8. season — of the year
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bore — to drill
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bore — to tire
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stock — shares
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. toast — bread
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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