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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: mate · toast · straw · scale · bore · file · foot · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. scale — in music
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ground — a position
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mate — a friend
  15. scale — size or range
  16. file — a document
  17. toast — bread
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. file — a tool
  24. foot — a measure

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