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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. clip — a video
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. clip — for paper
  10. last — final
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. last — finally
  13. toast — bread
  14. last — to go on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pit — in a race
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wake — a trail
  24. clip — to cut

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