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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lean — thin
  4. present — a gift
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — the time now
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. lean — to bend
  15. present — there
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — a box
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stock — shares

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