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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rest — a break
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — high quality
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fine — all right
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — belonging to me

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