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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bore — to tire
  9. toast — bread
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — help
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. roll — a list
  21. game — a match
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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