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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chest — a box
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — of water
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — certain
  24. bore — to tire

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