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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pop — to visit
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. object — an aim
  7. pop — soda
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. fall — the season
  13. bank — of a river
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. file — a document
  21. bank — for money
  22. object — a thing
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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