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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. foot — a measure
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bore — to tire
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hand — in cards
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hand — help
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. scale — in music

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