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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — employees
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — boats
  9. lean — thin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — a stick
  13. march — music
  14. track — a path
  15. craft — a skill
  16. roll — a cake
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. lean — to bend
  20. hand — help
  21. staff — employees
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — in cards
  24. roll — a list

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