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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. toast — bread
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. plane — a tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — army training
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — help
  18. bore — to tire
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bore — to drill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. drill — the tool

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