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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. plane — a tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mug — a face
  12. cold — an illness
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bore — to tire
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — bread
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cold — not warm
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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