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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chest — of your body
  8. object — an aim
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. wake — a trail
  13. chest — a box
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. scale — in music
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. object — to protest
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bulb — for light
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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