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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. swing — to play on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. swing — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bore — to drill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wax — to grow
  18. track — a song
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. sharp — clever
  21. saw — the tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. track — a path

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