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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. file — a tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitch — completely
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. firm — steady
  9. clip — a video
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. can — a tin
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. file — a line of people
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a document
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. band — a ring

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