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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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 — a drink to someone
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ball — a great time
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ball — a dance
  18. drill — army training
  19. toast — bread
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mug — a face
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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