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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pop — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitch — a sports field

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