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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. present — a gift
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bore — to drill
  6. toast — bread
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tear — to rip
  18. squash — to crush
  19. present — the time now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. present — there

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