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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. land — a country
  8. roll — a list
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. land — to come down
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. roll — a cake
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — ground
  24. roll — on a roll

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