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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. field — for sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bank — for money
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. march — the month
  19. field — farmland
  20. bank — of a river
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — the tool

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