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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: wave · toast · bound · bat · content · season · mug · bore

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. content — the amount
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — certain
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mug — a cup
  12. toast — bread
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. season — of the year
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — a face
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. season — in sport
  20. content — happy
  21. mug — to rob
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bat — in an idiom

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