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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. tube — a container
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. face — to point toward
  10. object — to protest
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. object — an aim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — a video
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tube — the underground
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. clip — to cut
  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