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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pass — a permit
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mug — a face
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. file — a tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mug — to rob
  22. suit — clothes
  23. file — a document
  24. mug — a cup

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