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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fall — the season
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — tied together
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pop — to visit
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bound — certain
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pop — music
  24. bound — obliged

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