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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — happy
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — bread
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rest — a break
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. staff — employees
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rest — what's left
  20. staff — employees
  21. pound — a weight
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. date — on the calendar

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