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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rash — a series
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. object — to protest
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. object — a thing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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