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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spell — magic
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rash — hasty
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spell — a short time
  13. key — in music
  14. net — in sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. key — for a lock
  17. net — after costs
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spell — letters
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. leaves — of a tree

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