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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — ground
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — a country
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stock — shares
  14. rock — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. land — to come down
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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