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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. present — a gift
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. court — of law
  12. present — there
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bore — to drill
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. present — the time now
  20. snap — to click
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. court — of a king
  23. stock — shares
  24. bowl — to roll

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