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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. present — there
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. toast — bread
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to tire
  10. present — a gift
  11. ball — a great time
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — to drill
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. ground — a position
  16. present — the time now
  17. court — of a king
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. court — for sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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