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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. drill — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. scale — in music
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. file — a tool

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