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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: foot · mug · race · bore · toast · row · club · spring

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — to drill
  5. toast — bread
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mug — a cup
  8. club — for golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — to rob
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bore — to tire
  14. race — a contest
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — a group
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. foot — a measure
  20. row — a line
  21. race — humankind
  22. spring — the season
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mug — a face

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