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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wax — to grow
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. shower — to wash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. foot — a measure
  12. squash — the sport
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. shower — rain
  15. key — in music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lean — thin
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. key — the most important part

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