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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. object — a thing
  3. hand — help
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rush — hurry
  10. object — to protest
  11. hand — in cards
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fine — all right
  15. object — an aim
  16. fine — high quality
  17. root — of a plant
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a document
  21. root — of a word
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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