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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. game — a match
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — the season
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bore — gave birth

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