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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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 — bread
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. land — to come down
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bore — to tire
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. last — finally
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — ground
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. land — a country
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. last — final
  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