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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bore · leaves · land · last · toast · cold · court · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cold — not warm
  5. land — ground
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — a country
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. land — to come down
  12. last — to go on
  13. object — an aim
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of law
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — of a king
  19. last — finally
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — final
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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