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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. toast — bread
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — finally
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. foot — a measure
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. last — final
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bank — for money
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. last — to go on
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bank — for money

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