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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bore — to drill
  21. toast — bread
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. land — to come down

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