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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. fine — a penalty

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