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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. toast — bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — hasty
  24. deal — a big deal

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