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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. toast — bread
  4. wake — a trail
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. charge — a price
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. file — a line of people
  16. degree — temperature
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — to rip
  21. charge — electricity
  22. file — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. degree — from a university

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