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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · mine · kid · calf · charge · stand · present · game

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. charge — in control
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. charge — electricity
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. charge — a price
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. present — the time now
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mine — for digging
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stand — for spectators

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