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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: capital · bore · safe · cell · stock · drill · fan · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bore — to tire
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stock — goods
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. capital — a city
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cell — in biology
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — army training
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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