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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. chest — a box
  5. object — to protest
  6. track — a path
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a song
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — of your body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. toast — bread
  18. temple — side of the head

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