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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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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: bore · stand · last · bowl · toast · pit · snap · wound

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. last — finally
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. toast — bread
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pit — a hole
  11. snap — to click
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stand — to bear
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bore — to drill
  21. last — final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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