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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. object — an aim
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. toast — bread
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bore — to drill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ball — a great time
  14. track — to keep track
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. track — a path
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a dance
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bore — to tire

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