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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. land — a country
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — to drop
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bore — to tire
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fall — the season
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. roll — a list
  21. mark — a trace
  22. roll — a cake
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — to drill

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