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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rash — a series
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. toast — bread
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bore — to drill
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stock — shares
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — to wash
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. shower — rain
  24. stand — to bear

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