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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bore — to tire
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. degree — an amount
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. degree — from a university
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — in sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. toast — the most admired

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