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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. file — a document
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. key — in music
  7. tube — a container
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. foot — a measure
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stand — to bear
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. key — for a lock
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kid — child
  24. stand — for spectators

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