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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. present — the time now
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. present — a gift
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — to tire
  8. toast — bread
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. present — there
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. roll — a list
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bound — certain
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bore — gave birth

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