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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
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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 · pop · fall · cold · tube · mug · bowl · bore

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tube — a container
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pop — soda
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. toast — bread
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pop — to visit
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — the season
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pop — music

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