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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. fine — all right
  7. bore — to tire
  8. shower — rain
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. chest — a box
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. toast — bread
  24. pound — to hit hard

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