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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the sport
  7. club — for golf
  8. rock — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. club — a group
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. squash — to crush
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rest — a break
  24. toast — bread

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