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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. track — a song
  3. drill — army training
  4. object — an aim
  5. track — to keep track
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. drill — the tool
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. pit — a hole
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — a thing
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — in a race
  20. track — a path
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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