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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. toast — bread
  4. content — the amount
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — help
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — in cards
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lean — thin
  13. object — a thing
  14. club — a group
  15. craft — boats
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — happy
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. craft — a skill
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. object — to protest

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