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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. land — a country
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. suit — clothes
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — for catching
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mine — for digging
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — goods

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