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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: lean · bat · present · snap · cabinet · bore · shower · toast

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to click
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bore — to drill
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bat — the animal

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