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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fine — high quality
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. spell — magic
  24. fine — all right

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