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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fall — the season
  12. toast — bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. key — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — a container
  24. jam — in traffic

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