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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. toast — bread
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — to breed
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pit — in a race
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bore — to drill
  21. content — the amount
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. content — videos and posts

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