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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: bore · field · ball · fall · pound · toast · season · scale

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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. scale — for weighing
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ball — a dance
  9. toast — bread
  10. field — for sport
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. season — in sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pound — a weight
  19. season — of the year
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — in music
  24. field — farmland

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