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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rule — a law
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bat — the animal
  14. toast — bread
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to tire
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rule — government
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — the most admired

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