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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. squash — to crush
  4. roll — a list
  5. band — a ring
  6. file — a document
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. toast — bread
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kick — in football
  13. present — the time now
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. present — there
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. band — a music group
  23. file — a tool
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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