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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — to tire
  4. toast — bread
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. net — for catching
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — of water
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for dancing
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. net — in sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. club — a group
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spring — a coil
  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