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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. net — after costs
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — goods
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bore — to drill
  16. net — for catching
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — shares
  24. net — in sport

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