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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. toast — bread
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — of the year
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — of a king
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — of law
  24. season — in sport

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