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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: toast · bore · kick · rest · mug · fall · scale · mine

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mug — a face
  10. toast — bread
  11. kick — in football
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — to drop
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. fall — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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