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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — ground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bore — to tire
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bore — to drill
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. toast — bread
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a ring
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. band — a music group
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — a trail

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