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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — to wash
  11. last — final
  12. bore — to drill
  13. last — to go on
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — to keep track
  16. season — in sport
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lean — to bend
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. track — a song
  23. last — finally
  24. shower — rain

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