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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — to breed
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rock — music
  18. band — a ring
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — tied together
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bore — to drill

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