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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stock — goods
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — shares
  17. bore — to tire
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kick — in football
  24. kid — child

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