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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. can — to be able to
  3. present — a gift
  4. object — to protest
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. present — the time now
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tube — a container
  10. present — there
  11. object — an aim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — a series
  15. tube — the underground
  16. band — a ring
  17. can — a tin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. object — a thing
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. band — a music group
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. saw — the 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