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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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 — the most admired
  2. cold — not warm
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bore — to tire
  6. land — ground
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — an illness
  9. march — music
  10. land — a country
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — to bear
  20. toast — bread
  21. march — the month
  22. land — to come down
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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