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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. staff — employees
  5. snap — to click
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. toast — bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rush — hurry
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hide — animal skin

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