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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · kid · calf · squash · bore · stock · mark · saw

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bore — to drill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stock — goods
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — of law
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bore — to tire
  21. stock — shares
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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