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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: stick · pit · wind · bore · roll · toast · cap · mine

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cap — a hat
  3. toast — bread
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mine — for digging
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bore — to drill
  17. roll — a list
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cap — a lid

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