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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. firm — steady
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rock — a stone
  9. firm — a company
  10. rock — music
  11. land — a country
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — in football
  19. firm — decided
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tube — a container
  24. jam — in traffic

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