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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. foot — a measure
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — in control
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — electricity
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. charge — a price
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. saw — the tool

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