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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rash — a series
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. toast — bread
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — obliged
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. foot — the bottom

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