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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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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: toast · net · shower · wake · march · bore · foot · cold

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cold — an illness
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — rain
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to drill
  21. toast — bread
  22. net — for catching
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bore — gave birth

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