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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. toast — bread
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hand — help
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. object — to protest
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. roll — a list
  23. object — an aim
  24. roll — a cake

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