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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · nail · dip · race · date · fine · bore · kid

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. toast — bread
  3. kid — child
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fine — all right
  6. race — humankind
  7. bore — to drill
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bore — to tire
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. date — the fruit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. toast — the most admired

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