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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: kick · wound · kid · mate · bore · safe · can · track

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — in football
  3. track — a song
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kid — to tease
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — child
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. track — a path
  19. mate — a friend
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bore — to drill

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