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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. toast — bread
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — rain
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — clever
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. sharp — exactly

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