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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — hurry
  7. club — a group
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — a path
  10. club — for dancing
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lie — to recline
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. track — a song
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — for golf
  23. file — a document
  24. lie — an untruth

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