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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. spell — a short time
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. spell — magic
  6. object — to protest
  7. rock — music
  8. suit — to fit
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. land — a country
  12. toast — bread
  13. land — ground
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. land — to come down
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — a thing
  20. rock — a stone
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spell — letters
  24. straw — dry grass

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