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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — to confront
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. staff — employees
  12. current — of water
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a ring
  20. toast — bread
  21. band — a music group
  22. current — electric
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. current — happening now

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