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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spell — magic
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spell — letters
  15. bore — to tire
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. spell — a short time

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