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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: date · foot · mine · capital · roll · bore · toast · lash

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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. lash — a whip stroke
  4. date — the fruit
  5. roll — a cake
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. capital — money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bore — to drill
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. roll — a list
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. capital — a city
  24. date — on the calendar

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