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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. season — of the year
  4. bore — to tire
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — in sport
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. swing — music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fall — the season
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a ring
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. toast — bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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