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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — to drill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. drill — army training
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — not warm
  20. present — there
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — bread

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