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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: nail · bore · toast · last · mate · pitcher · lie · game

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — to go on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. last — finally
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lie — to recline
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — a friend
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mate — a partner
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. toast — bread
  22. last — final
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — a match

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