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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 the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — a measure
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. craft — a skill
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. file — a tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. file — a document

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