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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. toast — bread
  4. last — final
  5. date — the fruit
  6. file — a line of people
  7. firm — decided
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. firm — steady
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. swing — to play on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a document
  24. swing — music

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