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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rash — a series
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — certain
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — a song
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bat — for baseball

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