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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. club — for dancing
  3. file — a tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — in golf
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — thin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. club — a group
  12. file — a line of people
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. swing — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. swing — to play on
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — an agreement

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