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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stock — shares
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — in sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — a company
  15. track — a song
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. date — the fruit
  18. track — a path
  19. firm — steady
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. firm — decided
  22. stock — goods
  23. net — after costs
  24. kid — to tease

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